21 Apr 2013

Barzagli: “We deserve to be top”

Andrea Barzagli believes a significantly improved second-half display was the key to this evening’s victory over Milan at Juventus Stadium.

The defender revealed the team faced difficulties in dealing with the Rossoneri’s passing and movement during a combative opening 45 minutes in Turin.

But Antonio Conte’s half-time input encouraged the Bianconeri to up the ante and subsequently earn a sixth straight Serie A victory at the expense of historic rivals Milan.

Speaking after tonight’s 1-0 success, the 31-year-old said: “It was a very difficult game, at least in the first half. Milan made us chase them, moved the ball around well and we weren’t particularly aggressive. We upped the tempo after the interval and things changed.”

Tonight’s triumph restores the Bianconeri’s 11-point cushion at the top of the league, a position Barzagli claims is just reward for a resounding domestic campaign.

“We’ve won extremely difficult away games, against Inter and Lazio for example, and today against Milan. We deserve to be top of the league. At times last season, also when playing at home, we struggled to break the deadlock. However, this year we’ve managed to bring more intensity to our displays and make better of the chances created.”